


Shifting Dynamics

by xTarmanderx



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: First Kiss, M/M, Melissa brings Theo home, Theo gets the family he’s always wanted
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-01-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:02:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22058992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xTarmanderx/pseuds/xTarmanderx
Summary: The last thing that Theo ever expected was sympathy from Melissa McCall. And he never expected Scott to be okay with it either.
Relationships: Scott McCall/Theo Raeken
Comments: 10
Kudos: 119
Collections: Fandom Trumps Hate 2019





	Shifting Dynamics

**Author's Note:**

  * For [liliaeth](https://archiveofourown.org/users/liliaeth/gifts).



Theo adjusts his pillow and closes his eyes, listening to the faint sounds of machinery in the distance. It’s a risk sleeping in the hospital parking lot, but he’s low on options at the moment. There’s not any gas left in his tank, hasn’t been for the last couple of days, but he’s yet to be caught by security. He tugs the threadbare blanket up closer to his chin and stiffens at the sound of footsteps nearing his truck. There are no other cars near him so it can only be the police. Gritting his teeth, he sits up and starts to climb back into the driver’s seat. As he rolls down the window to tell the cops that he’s moving along, he comes face to face with Melissa McCall. 

“Theo.” She says, lips pressing in a thin line. “What are you doing here?” Her arms fold over her chest, one foot tapping lightly against the pavement. 

“Just…” Theo hesitates, struggling to find an adequate lie to give her. He exhales and slumps back in his seat, dropping his hands from the steering wheel onto his lap. “Trying to sleep.” He says at last. 

“Why don’t you go home for that?” Melissa asks, her foot going still. Theo turns away from her searching gaze, shaking his head as she lets out a quiet breath. “Oh.”

“Haven’t had one since I came back…” he says, shifting in place. 

“That’s been almost a year. How have you kept the truck all this time? How have you been eating?” She asks. 

“Paid for the truck in cash before I was gone. It’s in my name and paid off.” Theo says. “I can show you the paperwork.”

“Surprisingly, I actually believe you. Wait for me to get my car and then follow. You’re coming home with me tonight.” Melissa doesn’t wait for an answer, turning and striding away. Theo starts to call after her and bites down on his tongue, huffing. It isn’t worth the fight with her. Besides, he doesn’t have the gas in the tank to follow her out of the parking lot. Shaking his head, he rolls up the window and starts to crawl into the back again. He settles himself under the blankets and just as he thinks he’s going to drift off, a car horn blares from beside him. He jolts uptight with a curse, glowering at Melissa through the windshield. She beckons impatiently, her lips twisting down as Theo shakes his head. 

Her door slamming makes him flinch and he opens the door partway, scowling as she yanks it fully open. “I can’t follow you,” he says before she works her mouth open. “I don’t have gas in the tank. I wouldn’t make it out of the parking lot.”

“Pack up then. Come get in when you’re ready to go. And that’s an order,” she says firmly. Not that Theo can argue with her. He’s been around Melissa long enough to know that she doesn’t take no for an answer. Sighing, he lays out his blanket and spends the next couple of minutes getting his meager belongings together. He bundles it up and locks his truck, shuffling slowly to Melissa’s car. He doesn’t meet her gaze as he sinks into the passenger seat and buckles in, setting his belongings at his feet. “That’s all?” She asks. 

“Used to have more but it got stolen when the hunters shot up my truck.” Theo confesses, tipping his head back and closing his eyes. “Why are you doing this? You of all people should want me dead.”

“Sometimes I do.” Melissa admits with a sigh. “Sometimes I really do. But I also know that you sacrificed yourself again and again to save Liam’s life and to help the pack. You could have fled Beacon Hills at any time in the last year and no one would have chased you down. But you stayed.”

“Someone has to look out for the pups while Scott’s away at school.” Theo says, a ghost of a smile forming. “I’ll be gone in the morning.” He warns. 

“Actually, I was hoping you’d stay for breakfast and take a look at the kitchen sink. It could really use some work.” Theo hears her put on the turn signal and opens his eyes again to stare at the road. 

“Labor for a place to sleep?” Theo arcs an eyebrow. 

“It’s not a bad deal, is it? Besides, it gets lonely around the house when Chris isn’t around.” Melissa says. Theo tenses instantly. He’d forgotten about the Argent she was seeing. 

“I don’t think he would like it very much if I stayed with you.” Theo tries. 

“I called him when I went to my car.” She says, throwing him an unimpressed look. “He knows. He’ll be back in a couple of days. He knows I can protect myself.”

“With the taser Scott got you?” He asks. 

“Among Chris teaching me how to shoot.” She chuckles and turns down a side street. “Why didn’t you tell anyone you were homeless, kid?”

“Like anyone gave a damn. The sheriff and his men knew and they didn’t seem interested in helping me out. The nearest shelter is twelve miles outside of town, too far in case I was needed here. So I stuck around. Made use of the school locker room when I could and did some odd jobs here and there to make sure I didn’t starve.” He’d lost weight in the process, but he isn’t skin and bones the way he had been two months ago. He knows it’s only a matter of time before the good nurse notices and makes a comment, but he’s hidden in his hoodie for the time being. 

Melissa doesn’t ask any more questions and for that he’s grateful. She leads him inside to the guest bedroom where he’d slept as a kid and wordlessly takes his laundry, heading back downstairs to the machine. Theo trudges after, discarding his shoes back at the front door, and makes his way into the kitchen. He starts a pot of coffee, giving a sheepish look when Melissa joins him. “I figured you were going to keep grilling me…” he says. 

“Hey, I won’t stop you from a cup of coffee. I’m going to have tea.” She walks around him and opens one of the cabinets, bringing down a jar that’s stuffed with tea packets. 

“Are you going to tell Scott?” He asks, resting his elbows against the counter. 

“He needs to know, Theo. The whole pack does.” She says gently. “They’re not going to judge you.”

“They’re also not going to care.” He tells her. 

“We’ll see about that.”

-

It’s awkward for the first couple of days. Theo does his best to be an invisible presence, excusing himself from the room when Melissa comes in and doing his best to stay out of her path. He makes sure the place is spotless when she comes home and he has dinner waiting when she walks through the door. They don’t talk a lot, but it’s easier that way. 

When Chris comes home, Theo’s packed and ready to go. But the older man doesn’t do anything except welcome him and then kiss Melissa on the cheek, asking how her week has been. A tow truck arrives a few hours later with Theo’s truck, leaving it on the street after Argent pays the man in cash. Theo makes dinner again as a way of thanks and a quiet promise to pay him back. 

For three weeks, it’s more of the same. Theo grows a little more comfortable living with Melissa and Chris and helps fix things around the house. They don’t have a lot of conversations, but Melissa seems to be giving Theo the space he needs to figure things out. He still can’t wrap his head around this and some nights he wakes up in a cold sweat, pinching his arm to see if it’s real. On those nights, Chris usually finds him downstairs nursing a cup of coffee. The older man doesn’t say anything, he just gets out a frying pan and scrambled eggs for both of them and stays until Theo goes back to bed. 

It’s a Saturday morning when Theo comes downstairs in sweats, rubbing tiredly at his eyes as he enters the kitchen. Chris sets down the newspaper and greets him with a nod, Melissa offering a smile from where she’s cooking at the stove. “I killed Scott,” Theo says as he sits down at the table. “Why do you want anything to do with me?” He asks the question that’s been weighing on his mind. 

A floorboard creaks behind him and he bolts up, turning with his claws and fangs out. Blood red eyes meet his and he growls, shaking off his shift as he stares down the true alpha. “I was going to ask the same thing.” Scott says. 

“When did you get here?” Theo asks, hating how hard his heart is racing in his chest. 

“I just got here. My mom told me you were staying here and I didn’t quite believe it.” Scott says, eyes hard. “Why are you here?”

“Because he was sleeping in a parking lot and had nowhere else to go.” Melissa says, pointing her spatula at him. “Boys, sit down.” They do as told and Scott exhales, scratching the back of his neck. 

“I’m sorry. It’s just not easy seeing you here in my house.” Scott says after a moment. 

“I’ll be gone after breakfast.” Theo answers. 

“Don’t. I knew you were living here. I just got worked up and I remembered the last time I was here with you. All that anger just came rushing back. Still is,” he admits with a halfhearted chuckle. 

“I can tell.” Theo echoes his attempt at a laugh. 

“Theo’s been nothing but helpful since he moved in. He fixed the back steps, the railing, the leaky pipes, and so many other things.” Melissa speaks up. “I told him that he’s welcome to stay for as long as he needs a place. He’s just started job hunting and when he saves up enough, he can get his own place in town.”

“This is going to take some getting used to.” Scott says. “Seeing him here when I come home for weekends and breaks. But I know he’s different. This just takes some adjusting.” He offers Theo a weak smile. The chimera tentatively returns it and glances at Melissa. She gives her nod of approval and something settles in Theo’s bones. 

-

Their friendship grows slowly. Scott comes home one night complaining about his biology class and Theo sits with him in the living room, helping him go over the material for an upcoming exam. When Scott passes with a B, Theo is the first person he calls. He doesn’t understand their sudden friendship after that, but he doesn’t mind that Scott starts talking to him more often. He even helps Theo with a mock interview before the real thing at a local coffee shop. Theo gets the job and he texts Scott immediately, receiving a string of emojis in response. 

One night, Scott shows up unannounced to the house. Melissa and Chris are out dancing and Theo is in the middle of reading when the true alpha knocks on his bedroom door. He sets down the book and smiles slightly, raising a brow. “I didn’t know you were coming home.”

“Finished my finals early and thought I’d surprise everyone. You hungry? I was thinking about going to get a bite to eat.”

“Starved.” Theo throws his legs over the side of the bed. “Let me change and I’ll meet you downstairs in five.”

“Deal.” Scott grins and shuts the door, hurrying downstairs. Fifteen minutes later they’re seated at a diner and Theo can’t wipe the smile off of his face. It’s been four months of living with Melissa, nearly 3 months of his tenuous friendship with Scott, and he feels happier than he has in a long time. There’s no fear of the Dread Doctors anymore, no fear that something is lurking in the shadows ready to tear his heart out. Scott is the ray of light shining in the dark, chasing away every shadow. 

They walk around town with milkshakes until Scott stops him, his entire being lighting up. Theo follows his gaze to find a tiny ice skating rink set in the middle of the commons. Without thinking, he takes Scott by the hand and leads him to the booth where a woman is selling tickets and skates. He pays for both of them using money he’s received in tips and they go sit on the bleachers, taking off their shoes and socks. “You didn’t have to do that,” Scott says as he finishes lacing up one of his skates. 

“No. But I wanted to.” Theo says, flashing him a wide grin. “Do you skate?”

“Not often. First time was with Allison and Lydia and Stiles. I was terrible at it. But I kept going to the rink and practicing and got better at it. Have you ever been?” He asks. Theo shakes his head, offering a wistful smile. 

“Nah. Not much of a childhood and when I was free, I didn’t have the money to try. It’s always looked fun.” He confesses, rubbing a hand back through his hair. It’s getting long again. He’s due for another trim from Melissa. 

“Come on, I’ll show you what to do.” Scott offers a hand and Theo takes it, wobbling as he gets to his feet. They barely make it onto the ice before Theo is falling, nearly dragging Scott down with him. A couple of girls giggle as they skate by and Scott chuckles, offering Theo a hand again. “This time I won’t let go,” he promises. 

They lap slowly around the rink, Scott teaching Theo as they go. He doesn’t quite stop wobbling like a newborn foal, but he feels less likely to fall as they go around. Scott’s fingers are warm in his own, squeezing tight as he murmurs encouragement. He doesn’t offer to let go or anything, simply content to be holding Theo’s hand as they skate around the rink. 

On one of the curves, Theo hits a nick in the ice and goes crashing down. Scott’s right behind him and they collide hard, Theo grunting as Scott’s weight bears down on him. The true alpha flushes, stammering his apologies as he lifts up onto his elbows. Theo grabs a fistful of his sweater and drags him back down, their noses almost touching. “I want to kiss you,” he says softly. 

“I won’t stop you.” Scott grins and leans in, closing the gap. They melt against each other, tasting peppermint chocolate on each other’s tongues. It’s messy and Theo’s back is starting to ache, but he swears it’s perfect. 


End file.
